Salvation And Hell

Πέμπων ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον εὐαγγελίσασθαι τοὺς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνθρώπους, γινώσκειν ὅτι εἷς θεός ἐστιν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστεως ἐμῆς δηλοῦντας τὰ μέλλοντα, ὅπως οἱ ἀκούσαντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες σωθῶσιν, οἱ δὲ μὴ πιστεύσαντες ἀκούσαντες μαρτυρήσωσιν, οὐκ ἔχοντες ἀπολογίαν εἰπεῖν· οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν. Tί οὖν; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν Ἅιδου ἡ αὐτὴ γέγονεν οἰκονομία; ἵνα κἀκεῖ πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ ἀκούσασαι τοῦ κηρύγματος ἢ τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐνδείξωνται ἢ τὴν κόλασιν δικαίαν εἶναι, δι' ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν, ὁμολογήσωσιν. Ἦν δ' ἂν πλεονεξίας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἔργον τοὺς προεξεληλυθότας τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Kυρίου, μὴ εὐηγγελισμένους μηδὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν τὴν αἰτίαν παρασχομένους κατὰ τὸ πιστεῦσαι ἢ μή, ἤτοι τῆς σωτηρίας ἢ τῆς κολάσεως μετασχεῖν. Oὐ γάρ που θέμις τοὺς μὲν ἀκρίτως καταδεδικάσθαι, μόνους δὲ τοὺς μετὰ τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς θείας ἀπολελαυκέναι δικαιοσύνης. πάσαις δ' ἄνωθεν ταῖς ψυχαῖς εἴρηται ταῖς λογικαῖς· ὅσα ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ τις ὑμῶν ἐποίησεν μὴ εἰδὼς σαφῶς τὸν θεόν, ἐὰν ἐπιγνοὺς μετανοήσῃ, πάντα αὐτῷ ἀφεθήσεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ἰδοὺ γάρ· φησί, τέθεικα πρὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ζωήν, ἐκλέξασθαι τὴν ζωήν, πρὸς σύγκρισιν ἐκλογῆς τεθεῖσθαι λέγων ὁ θεός, οὐ πεποιηκέναι ἄμφω. καὶ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ γραφῇ λέγει· ἐὰν ἀκούσητέ μου καὶ θελήσητε, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσητέ μου μηδὲ θελήσητε, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα Kυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα. Πάλιν δὲ ἄντικρυς ὁ Δαβίδ, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Kύριος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ὁσίου εἷς δὲ οὗτος ἐκ καταβολῆς κόσμου, πᾶς ὁ διαφόροις χρόνοις διὰ πίστεως σωθείς τε καὶ σωθησόμενος· ηὐφράνθη μου ἡ καρδία καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ' ἐλπίδι, φησίν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς Ἅιδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς· πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Ϛ', Κεφ Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 9.269c-272c

He sent the Apostles into the world, preaching to the men dwelling there, that they know there is one God, showing clearly what would come by the faith of Christ, that hearing and having faith they might be saved, and that those who do not have faith, after hearing, bear witness to this, not having any excuse to say, 'We did not hear.' What then? Was there not the same arrangement in Hell, that there all the souls, hearing the preaching, either declared their repentance, or that their punishment was just because they had no faith? And this was not the work of chance, for those who departed before the advent of the Lord, not being evangelised, provided no cause from themselves, for believing or not, to partake of either salvation or punishment. For it is not at all right that they should be condemned without trial and that only those who lived after the advent should benefit by the Divine righteousness. But from above it was said to all rational souls, 'Whatever one of you has done in ignorance, without clearly knowing God, if, becoming conscious, he repent, all sin will be forgiven him.' 'For, behold,' it is said, 'I have set before your face death and life, that you may choose life.' 1 And for the judgement of choice God says that He set them forth, not that he had made both. And in another passage He says, 'If you hear Me, and are willing, you shall eat the good things of the land. But if you do not hear me and are not willing, the sword shall devour you, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.' 2 Again, David says openly, or rather the Lord in the person of the holy one, and everyone from the foundation of the world who at different times is saved through faith and shall be saved, 'My heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced, and my flesh shall yet rest in hope. For You shall not leave my soul in hell, nor will You give Your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life, You will fill me with joy in Your presence.' 3 Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 6, Chap 6 1 Deut 30. 15,19 2 Isaiah 1:19-20 3 Ps 6, 9,10,11, Acts 2 26,27,28